1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to so-called "soft tip" or "safe" game darts. In particular, the present invention relates to a soft tip game dart having a tip portion which is easily replaced, which is not threadably attached to the dart body, which has an anti-bounce-back feature, and which, in at least a fully extended position, is rotationally fixed to the dart body, allowing the dart tip to be rotated relative to a dart board or target grid in which it is embedded for easier removal therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Game darts of the traditional metallic tip type wherein the tip portion is axially and/or rotationally movable relative to the dart body, usually to provide an anti-bounce-back feature, are known in the prior art, as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,322; 4,596,393 and 5,419,567, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Recently, so-called "soft tip" or "safe" darts having relatively slender, rounded or blunt-ended plastic tips and utilized with a dart board having a target grid or array of closely spaced holes for retaining darts that strike the target grid, and a self-scoring mechanism, have become popular, as the potential for damage and/or injury is minimized and the need to have a person manually keeping score is eliminated. Examples of the general structure of soft tip darts and the self-scoring dart board machines utilizing same may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,457,514; 4,974,857 and 5,116,063, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A problem with the prior art devices is that the tip portions often fracture at the threaded connection, making removal of the remaining threaded portion from the dart body difficult and/or the tips would rotate with respect to the body, preventing removal of embedded darts from the target grid by rotationally "walking it out" and often leading to breakage of the tip and/or an anti-bounce-back feature was not provided.